Amour Nouveau
by lovingjazzalways
Summary: In all the fanfics Bella falls in love with someone new but leaps into Edward's arms as soon as he comes back, no matter what. well, in this story, Bella really falls in love and when Ed gets back, she actually struggles between Edward and her new love!
1. His Smile Gleamed

CH. 1 His Smile Gleamed

October, November, December, January

TIME PASSES, EVEN FOR ME.

It had been 7 months , 13 days, and 4 hours since _he _turned around and walked out of my life. I watched him and for the first time in my life, knew true pain. I could literally feel my heart fold in on top of its self. I felt like my soul had withered and disappeared. For the next 4 months it was if I were a zombie, just a shell of my real self. Then, I got to know Jacob Black and he made me smile again, even laugh. He became my best friend in the world and I spent most of my time with him. I realized, after a while, that I thought about Edward less and less even though my heart still ached every time Angela asked if I'd heard from the Cullens or Mike mentioned the "stupid frickin' Cullen kid." I felt my heart healing as well as it could and one day faded into the next , faded into the next. Life went on and I was actually surviving it. It was clear that Jacob thought of me as more than a friend, but I told him several times that I could never think of him as anything other than my best friend. Finally, he accepted it and one weekend, his cousin Rachel came to visit. We waited at First Beach for Rachel and Jacob informed me that she was bringing her friend Georgina to the beach with her.

After first meeting Rachel and Georgina, I expected to hang out with Gina (as Georgina liked to be called) and Jake and his cousin would do some catching up. Lets just say that Jake and Rachel didn't get in any "family boding time." Gina and Jake spent three whole hours splashing in the waves and hiking in the forest around the beach. Rachel and I just laughed and teased them from a distance, not wanting to disturb the "love birds." That night, Gina asked Jake to see a movie, but he said no because he felt guilty about not spending anytime with his cousin.

"Go ahead and take the girl to the movies, Jake. Rachel's gonna stay over at my house tonight.." I said, trying to hold back my giggles. Jake flushed three colors of red, but finally agreed and they headed off in Jake's Rabbit. Rachel came home with me in the truck and we spent the night watching movies and talking girl talk. It was strangely comforting, doing all of these things I hadn't done in months. I felt genuinely happy. The next day, we drove into Port Angeles. We window shopped and got some lunch at the McDonalds. Right as it was starting to get dark, we stopped at a small shoe store because Rachel wanted a new pair of sandals. She tried on several pairs and right as I thought I was going to go into a comatose state from boredom, I heard the bell on the front door jingle. I glanced up and saw a beautiful girl with long strawberry blonde hair, walk in. She had her long thin fingers wrapped tightly around somebody else's wrist and her high soprano voice whined.

"Come on! We'll only be her a minute. I just need a new pair of shoes for school, tomorrow. Pleeeeeease!!! Come. On. Now." She gave a final tug and the person she had been whining to was jerked into the store. _Oh my. _He was gorgeous. He wasn't as enchanting as Ed- _No! Stop comparing him to…that person. _He was tall, maybe 6 feet and he had dark, sandy hair and hazel eyes. His rich, deep voice rang in my ears.

"Ten minutes, Hannah. Just ten. Then we have to get going. it's a half hour drive back to the house and we have to get some kinda sleep for our first day of school, tomorrow."

"Yes, Dad." The blonde girl that he had called Hannah said, giggling and standing tall, saluting the gorgeous guy.

"_Hannah…" _he said, getting angry.

"Okay, okay, Garrett. Ten minutes." She turned on her heel and headed off to the sandals. Garrett looked around, scanning the store for a place to sit. His beautiful eyes narrowed in on my bench and he walked over.

"Hey." I looked up into his perfect face and felt my cheeks burn. "Do you think I could share this bench? My sister's gonna take forever and I'd rather not stand the whole time."

"Your sister?" I mumbled. "She's not your girlfriend?" I couldn't believe I was actually asking this strange (yet devilishly handsome) guy about his love life.

"No. Hannah's my little sister. And she takes forever when shops for shoes."

"Kind of like my friend Rachel." I said, pointing at Rachel who was sitting in the floor, a circle of empty shoeboxes and mix-matched high heels surrounding her. Garrett chuckled and nodded knowingly. Rachel finally stood up and picked up two boxes.

"Okay, Bella. I think I've found the perfect ones. Come on, let's go." I stood up and Garrett handed me my jacket and purse.

"See you around, Bella." He smiled warmly and his perfect white teeth gleamed.

"O-Okay." I stuttered, blushing yet again. I smiled back and headed off to find Rachel. She paid and we headed home. I dropped Rachel off at Jake's and found him and Gina making out on the couch. I laughed hysterically all the way home, thinking about Jake's wide-eyed face, closely resembling a tomato.

That night, as I laid in bed, my first thoughts were of the handsome, funny blonde boy I had met this afternoon. My eyes jerked open in surprise. _I haven't thought about him in hours…oh my goodness. _I hadn't thought about anybody other than Garrett since I first laid eyes on him in the shoe store. _What has happened to me?_ I pushed my face into the pillow and squealed. Charlie's loud snore brought me back to the present. _Oops. _After a few minutes of silence I wrapped myself tightly in my covers and grinned. I giggled myself to sleep.


	2. Our Little Reunion

Ch. 2 Our Little Reunion

_I was lying in bed, sleeping dreamlessly. I woke with the eerie feeling that someone was watching me. I slowly opened my eyes and turn over to face my rocking chair. _

_"Edward!" The angel sat there, completely unmoved._

_"Hello Bella." He stood up with the grace of a dancer and crossed the room to my bed. I sat up, still unsure of what was going on. He sat on the edge of my bed and pulled me into his arms. At first it felt like heaven, but then it just felt like….like nothing. _

_"Oh, Bella." He lifted my chin up so I could look straight into his eyes. The angel leaned in and pulled my face closer until our lips brushed lightly together. Suddenly, the kiss became less controlled. Both of our mouths were open and our eyes closed. I felt the edge of his tongue run along the side of mine. When I finally came up for air, I jumped backward in surprise. The eyes weren't golden anymore. They were beautiful hazel. The hair was no longer bronze, but sandy blonde. And the face was soft and warm, no longer made from cold perfect marble._

_"Hi Bella." His smile made my heart flutter and I jumped back._

_"Garrett!"_

I woke from the dream panting heavily, my eyes popping open and my heart dancing in my chest. I snuggled back into my pillow and bit my lip. But then I just smiled. _Garrett. _I could still feel his lips on mine and his warmth surrounding me. I wasn't thinking about anyone but the handsome human I had met the night before. Glancing at my alarm clock, I jumped out of bed with lightning speed. It was already seven a.m. School started in 20 minutes and I was still in bed. I took the fastest shower of my life and brushed my teeth. Then, I darted out the door to my truck. On the way to school, I suddenly thought about seeing Garrett again. It was impossible. I didn't know his last name, which high school he went to, or if he even liked me at all. _How depressing. _All I knew was that he was new to whatever high school he went to and he and Hannah lived half an hour from Port Angeles. Well, that could be Forks, but the chances of me having that kind of good luck were slim to none. I sadly pulled into the school's parking lot and headed to my first class.

"Hey Bella. How was your weekend?" Angela smiled and sat down next to me.

"Oh it was fine." I just stared ahead, eager for class to start so I wouldn't have to think about _him _or…the other _him. _Angela sighed and looked around. It looked like she was trying to find something interesting to say that would spark my interest.

"Oh!" She smiled and nearly fell out her seat. "Did you hear about the new kids?" I thought my heart would leap out of my chest .

"New kids?" I asked trying to sound as casual as possible. Angela seamed oblivious to my ecstatic interest.

"Yeah…I don't know anything about them, but isn't it crazy? We go without new kids for years and years and then suddenly there were the Cullens and then you and now two more! It's so weird!" She laughed, but my own thoughts drowned her out. I hadn't winced at the sound of _the Cullens_, but my heart had expanded and filled my whole chest as she said that there were _two _new students. _Could it be Hannah and Garrett?_

The teacher finally came in and I was in Calculus land for the next hour, but as soon as the bell rang I ran to my locker and straight to my next class, Senior English. I sat in my usual spot, and waited yet again, for the teacher. Finally, Mrs. Westin came in.

"Everybody listen up. We have a new kid in our class today, from Portland Oregon. Come on in, Mr. Powell." My heart squeezed and I sat on the edge of my seat. And then…_he _came in.

"Garrett!" I said out loud. He jerked his head in my direction and his jaw dropped to the floor. Then, he smiled and I felt like we were the only two people in the whole world. _Well, at least he remembers me._ I smiled back and he mouthed, "Hi." I mouthed "Hi." back and gave him a little finger wave.

Suddenly, Mrs. Westin coughed and interrupted our little reunion.

_"_Okay, Miss Swan, since you seem to be acquainted with Mr. Powell, you can help him find his classes and the cafeteria and such and…the only empty seat is the one next to Bella, so go ahead and sit there, Garrett." He walked to the back of the classroom and sat down next to me and I could smell the slightest hint of cologne. Throughout the class, we stayed silent, but every time we brushed shoulders or our knees bumped, I could feel the chemistry like an electric current, surging between us. When the bell rang, I stood up and gathered my things. I felt like I needed to move first, so I broke the silence.

"Wow. This is very odd." _ Smooth, Bella. _I can't believe this." He smiled his drop-dead gorgeous smile again. And my stomach flipped.

"Yeah, its weird, but good weird."

"Definitely good weird." I agreed and we started down the hall. "So what's your next class?"

"AP World History with Mr. Baleson." I grinned at his answer.

"Me too." We left the English building and went into the history building. He followed me down the hall and into Mr. Baleson's classroom. "There's an empty desk next to me in this class too, if you want to sit there." He nodded and followed me to my desk.

"So why does no one sit next to you in any of your classes? Do you have some weird sort of social disease I should know about?" I started to laugh. Garrett seamed to make do that a lot. It felt good to laugh and e happy again.

"Nope, no diseases. Its just that…" I cringed. "Ed-The guy who sat next to me in most of my classes moved a couple moths ago."

"Oh." The teacher walked in and started talking about the French revolution, but Garrett passed me a note and I didn't pay attention to Mr. Baleson again for the rest of the class.

So, Bella…

So, Garrett…

Do you have a boyfriend?

Nope.

Oh. So…do you like someone?

Maybe.

Do I know him?

Maybe.

Is it…

Yeah

Oh…cool

Yeah

So…do you want to go out tonight?

Yes

Good

That night Garrett and I went to the same Italian restaurant Edward took me to on our first date. At first I was a little bit hesitant, but Garrett was so funny and out going, I opened up and he made me laugh all night.


	3. Swirling Ball Gowns

Ch 3

Over the next month, Garrett and I went on a dozen dates and then it was suddenly February 14th. That morning I woke up without any thoughts about valentines or chocolates or roses. My first thoughts were about Garrett and our trip to Seattle the weekend before. He had taken me to a jazz club where we had danced and laughed and something incredible had happened.

_Garrett looked dashing in his black coat and tie as he swept me around the dance floor. My cobalt blue dress swirled around me and I felt like we were sparkling. For the first time in a very long time, I felt radiant. As the song came to a close Garrett grasped my hand and we headed to the back of the club. He held me in his arms and I stood on my tip toes to kiss him. His lips curved upward under mine and he pulled away just far enough that our noses barely touched. His arms were wrapped snuggly around my hips and mine around his neck. _

_"Bella?" He smiled tenderly and his perfect hazel eyes gazed into mine. _

_"Yes?" I nudged the tip of his nose with mine._

_"I…I love you." At first I just gaped at Garret, standing there like a little boy with his hand in the cookie jar. The tiniest bit of red colored his cheeks and I did the only thing I could. I stood back up on my tiptoes again and lowered his face to mine, kissing him deeply. Then, I stopped, bringing his face less than an inch from mine._

_"Oh Garrett," I said, my voice raspy and out of breath. "I love you too…so much." He grinned and lifted me into his arms, spinning me around and around, both of us laughing out loud. _

I sighed just thinking about it. I love Garrett. I really, really love Garrett. I could feel my heart finally heeling-completely. I still loved Edward of course. A part of me always would, but Garrett was my life now. I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Staring at myself in the mirror, my eyes opened wide in surprise. There were tears on my cheeks. I was so happy, I had actually started to cry. I smiled to myself before getting ready and heading to school.

As I pulled into the parking lot, Garrett and Hannah pulled in behind me in his black Jeep Liberty. Once we were both parked he jumped out of his car and ran towards me. He grabbed me in his arms again.

"Good morning, Gorgeous." I giggled.

"Good morning, Handsome." He kissed me deeply and I giggled some more.

"Cough, cough." Hannah said, sounding the slightest bit irritated. I giggled some more and Garrett took my hand.

"Okay, Hannah. We'll stop." We all laughed and headed to our first class.

At lunch, I sat at my usual table with Hannah and waited for Garrett. He was later than usual and I was starting to get worried. I said goodbye to Hannah and left the cafeteria. As I got closer to his locker, I noticed the roses. There were roses and petals scattered all down the hallway. My curiosity piqued and I followed the trail. As I turned the corner towards Garrett's locker I stopped, my eyes going wide and filling with tears. Garrett was there, down on one knee, A bouquet of red and yellow roses in his arms and others scattered all around him. I walked slowly up to him, biting my bottom lip, trying to hold back a grin.

He pulled a small, black velvet, ring box out of his pocket and my eyes went huge. I gasped. He handed me the bouquet and opened the box. Inside was a pink paper ticket with **Valentines Dance** printed on it.

"Bella, will you go to the Valentine's Dance with me?" He stood up and took out the ticket, handing it to me.

I leaped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Oh Garrett! Yes! Yes! Of course I will go to the dance with you!" By now, an audience had formed around us and had started to clap. I slid my feet down to the floor and buried my face in the flowers and Garrett chuckled and pulled me against his chest. I could feel my cheeks on fire.

The rest of the day went by pleasantly and because I hadn't thought that I would be going to the dance, I hadn't bought a dress , so Hannah and I had decided to go to Port Angeles after school to go dress shopping. A sophomore boy her age named Jason had asked her to the dance as well so we spent the whole car ride giggling talking about the guys. We went to two stores before I found the perfect dress and Hannah found one in the store after. We went back to my house and Hannah called Jason to tell him to pick her up at my house and the dance prep commenced.

It took two and a half hours, but at seven o'clock when the bell rang, Hannah and I both looked beautiful. Charlie answered the door.

"Hannah!" He called. "Jason is here." Hannah grabbed her clutch purse and headed down the stairs. I had to admit, she looked stunning. Her coral gown's intricate beading sparkled and and it hugged all of her curves perfectly. I waved goodbye and before I knew it, the bell rang again.

"Bella! Garrett's here!" I glanced in my mirror one last time and then slowly headed down the stairs. Charlie had headed back to the lying room to watch his game and give us privacy. Garrett was facing away from the stairs, but as he heard the creek of my footsteps, he turned. One look at his face and I felt like a goddess. His eyes burned as they took in the gown of champagne silk (pics for all dresses on profile) and his smile radiated warmth.

"Bella…" He didn't seem capable of forming words. "You…you look…stunning." He wrapped his arms around me and gave me an intoxicating kiss. After what seemed like hours, we pulled back and I blushed at the look in his eyes.

"We should go. We're going to be late." Garrett took a deep breath and grabbed my hand.

"Okay. Let's go." After saying good bye to Charlie, we got in Garrett's Jeep and headed to the school. As we pulled into the parking lot, I gasped. The school was covered in sparkling white Christmas lights and the pathway up to the gym was covered in a red carpet and lined on both sides with even more white lights. Garrett came and opened my door for me and we headed towards the school. To my credit, I only tripped once and Garret caught me before I hit the ground and then we were heading through the door. The gym was beautiful. No naked, winged babies or cut-out paper hearts. There were more lights, some of them twinkling, and a huge arch covered in white roses. Apparently, the theme was _The Valentine's Ball. _Everything was white and silver and absolutely gorgeous. As we first walked in, soft jazz music was playing and Garrett took my hand and led me to the dance floor. We began to whirl around the floor, when suddenly I saw a flash of bronze hair. My stomach clenched and I lost my footing, tripping over Garrett's feet. He caught me and held me close. I could swear I heard faintest growl.

"Baby, are you alright?" I couldn't answer and threw my head around frantically searching the gym for _him_. Garrett picked me up and lightly dropped my feet to the floor. "Bella? Sweetie? What's wrong?" I put my hand to my brow and took a deep breath.

"Nothing. I'm fine. It must have been my imagination." Garrett still looked uncertain and he led me to the back of the gym. He pulled me into his arms and I buried my face in his chest. That's when I heard a sound I was sure I would never hear again. Laughter filled with happiness, it sounded as beautiful as a fairy's laughter and I turned instantly.

"Alice!" She stood there, looking as beautiful as always in a short, gray-blue, strapless gown and 3 inch clear high heels.

"Oh Bella! You look beautiful!" She rushed towards me and engulfed me the largest hug I'd ever received.

"ALICE!" I screeched, jerking back in surprise. "What are you doing here?!?!"

"That would be my fault." My whole body slammed backward in surprise from the beautiful, distant voice I convinced myself never to hear again. I stepped around Alice and saw him. The dark angel who had put me through so much pain. My eyes went wide and my heart beat went wild, but I struggled against myself and kept control. I looked Edward square in the face and said calmly,

"I have nothing to say to you." in a quiet, yet confident voice. Then I took Garrett's hand and we left the gym.


	4. The Other Man

Amour Neaveau Ch 4 

The drive home from the Valentine's dance was almost unbearable. We were completely silent until Garrett pulled the Jeep into my driveway. We sat there; completely silent for what seemed like forever until Garret finally broke the silence.

"So that was…_him_?" He asked, staring straight ahead without looking anywhere near me.

"Yes. That was…"I struggled for a moment. "Edward." We were both silent again.

"And now…" He still wouldn't look in my direction.

"And now _what_, Garrett?" I spat the words out a little harsher than I expected, but I was too upset to apologize. He finally turned and looked straight into his eyes.

"Are you going to leave me and go back to him?"

"What?!" I was shocked by the question. _Yes, _I had loved Edward and part of me always would, but I loved and needed Garrett now, too. I thought he knew that.

There was a slight twinge in my heart but I ignored it and tried to continue.

"Garrett…I can't believe you could think that of me."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and crawled over to him. I pulled my dress up to the top of my thighs so I could straddle his lap. I sat there with one leg on either side of his and my chest pressed closely against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and our faces were less than an inch apart. I pulled him closer and closer, unconsciously trying to make myself feel something that was slightly _not there_.

"Garrett. I love you. More than I could possibly ever tell you. I would probably be a zombie right now, or worse if I hadn't met you. I cried myself to sleep for months and months. I woke up every night screaming at the top of my lungs from terrifying nightmares. I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. I never talked or smiled….and then I met you. I could feel my self grow warm again. I was smiling and laughing again. Laughing, Garrett! You saved me. I love you. I do." To my ears it sounded like I was trying to convince myself, but Garrett didn't seem to notice. I pressed onward.

I looked earnestly into his eyes. The hazel was swirling with love. Love for _me._

"Forever, Bella?" I smiled and nodded, but I could feel the tiniest bit of hesitation in my movements.

"…Forever."

Finally, he took my lips with passion unlike anything I had ever felt…from Garrett. My lips curved upward into a smile against his and I ran my tongue along his bottom lip. Garrett slowly lowered me onto my back on the seat and lowered himself on top of me. I felt safe and comfortable in his arms. It felt…_right._ But then I came to my senses.

"Garrett! What are we doing?!" He jumped backward, looking very startled.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

"No…no you didn't do anything wrong." I smiled, but for some reason had the eerie feeling that someone was watching me.

"_We _almost did something wrong. Do you realize where we are? MY DRIVEWAY! Charlie is in there. He could see us. He would blow up if he saw you and me going at it in the front seat of your Jeep!!"

Garrett lifted one brow at my word choice of _going at it_ but I tried to ignore him.

"Well, at least he hasn't seen us yet or he'd already be out here with his shotgun." He laughed, but I could see the slightest bit of panic in his eyes.

"Garrett…" I said slowly, already feeling the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Yeah?"

"Your mom is out of town right? For that conference thing?"

"Yeah…" Garrett repeated, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Well, why don't we get out of here before my dad sees us and then I can call Charlie and tell him that I'm sleeping over with Hannah and really…" I flushed crimson. "…be sleeping over with…." Garrett's eyes got huge. "…with…you." After a painfully awkward moment, Garrett wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

"Bella, are you sure that's what you want?" I supposed it was what I wanted or I wouldn't have suggested it, right?

"More than anything." I _needed_ it more than anything. I needed it to scourge away these odd doubts that had been plaguing my mind since we left the Valentine's dance.

He kissed me again and pulled back out of the driveway.

As we sped away, I felt the slightest shiver run up my spine. It still felt like someone was watching.

Edward's POV

I watched my Bella's face harden as she recognized me. My heart clenched at the pain I saw etched into her every feature. Then she spoke the words that made my heart stop. (Figuratively, of course.)

"I have nothing to say to you." She spun on her heel, the human boy's hand in hers. She raced out of the gym. I followed the black Jeep I assumed was _his_, running swiftly through the shadows on the side of the road. I watched as they pulled into the driveway.

This was my chance. She would get out of her car, _he_ would leave, and I would sneak up to her room and finally get a chance to explain the reasons for my terrible actions.

But that's not what happened. They sat silently in the car for a moment, unmoving. I started to get worried until _he _broke the silence.

"So that was…_him_?" Bella nodded to his question. He asked her what she was going to do now, if she would leave him for me. I edged closer, trying to hear her answer more clearly.

I didn't know what to expect. I wanted her to be happy and if it was with …Garrett. So be it. Though I truly would prefer her with me.

"Garrett. I love you." I could feel my heart rip.

"More than I could possibly ever tell you. You are my life." I felt my body go rigid with sadness.

"I would probably be a zombie right now or worse, if I hadn't met you. I cried myself to sleep for months and months. I woke up every night screaming at the top of my lungs from terrifying nightmares. I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. I never talked or smiled….and then I met you." Wait a minute. What was she talking about? Why had she hurt herself like that?

"I could feel my self grow warm again. I was smiling and laughing again. Laughing, Garrett! You saved me. I love you and I want to be with you forever." Though I couldn't hear Bella's thoughts as she ripped my heart to pieces, I could hear the boy's.

_I could kill that guy for hurting her this badly. _I saw an image flash through his mind. That of Bella sitting in a shoe store, trying on sandals. She was beautiful as always, but even I could tell that she was a mess. She had lost weight that she didn't have to lose. There were deep blue crescents under each eye and her soft, creamy cheeks were sunken, giving her a hollow appearance. Just the sight of her sent my conscious wheeling. How could I profess my love for this angel yet, cause her such great pain? I truly was the monster I had tried so hard to keep away. In Garrett's thoughts were a million reasons why I should turn and run. Why I should leave Bella alone, for good. However, I just couldn't make myself move.

They began to kiss and I had to look away. I just couldn't stand it. He was kissing her in a way that I was never able, in a way that would have been impossible being what I am.

"Garrett! What are we doing?!" Bella shouted suddenly, and Garrett seemed to jump back in surprise.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Yes…you touched my Bella.

"No…no you didn't do anything wrong." From this distance I couldn't be positive, but it seemed like Bella looked a bit nervous. She glanced around and I felt myself shrink back further into the greenery.

"_We _almost did something wrong. Do you realize where we are? MY DRIVEWAY! Charlie is in there. He could see us. He would blow up if he saw you and me going at it in the front seat of your Jeep!!" If I was human, I'm sure I would have vomited right there. Bella _going at it _with any other man was terrible thought to endure.

The boy seemed amused at Bella's choice of words, yet his thoughts belied his carefree seeming attitude. He was reacting to Bella's being so close and just thought of them _going at it _made his blood boil.

"Well, at least he hasn't seen us yet or he'd already be out here with his shotgun." Bella said, giggling nervously.

"Garrett…" She began.

"Yeah?" Garrett was having a hard time concentrating on Bella's words.

"Your mom is out of town right? For that conference thing?"

"Yeah…" He was confused at what she could be getting at, but I instantaneously knew were this was headed. I prayed that I was wrong.

"Well, why don't we get out of here before my dad sees us and then I can call Charlie and tell him that I'm sleeping over with Hannah and really…" Even from here I could smell the savory blood that puddled in my angel's cheeks. "…be sleeping over with…." Garrett finally got the hint and I was proved correct. "…with…you." I could feel the excitement build up in the boy instantly and watched as he pulled Bella to himself, kissing her again.

"Bella, are you sure that's what you want?" He asked after a moment.

"More than anything." I finally pulled myself away. She wanted him. It was obvious. And I couldn't blame her one bit. I had pained her and hurt her near the point of insanity. Now, she could be with this boy in ways she would never have the opportunity to with me.

I watched as Garrett backed the Jeep out of Charlie's driveway and they drove away. Bella glanced backward one last time as they sped off and it almost felt as if she were looking for me.

I quickly made up my mind. I would follow. I had to make sure my beautiful Bella would be all right.


	5. Strange Broken Dreams

Ch 5 

Edward's POV

I raced after the black vehicle that was racing down the twisting roads a smidge faster than I would have liked. We quickly reached Garrett's house. I sized it up as Garrett jumped out and went around to help Bella out of the jeep.

It was a nice house. A little larger than Bella's, a mossy green color with a brown door and shudders. Bella had been right. I scanned the house and found only the pulse of a cat, asleep inside. Garrett took Bella's hand in his own with the firm belief that it _belonged _there. I felt my jaw unconsciously clench. He unlocked the door and led Bella inside. I listened carefully to Garrett's thoughts.

He was still holding her hand, and was enjoying every second of it. She jumped up, wrapping her legs around his middle…_that _really got him going.

He pushed her back up against the wall and continued to kiss her…

"Wait Bella." My head jerked up toward the house. Perhaps he was going to stop this before it started. "I don't want to do this here. I want it to happen somewhere special. In my room…on my bed." There was a silent hesitation. No thoughts, no words.

And then, "Alright, let's go." They headed up the stairs, into what I assumed was Garrett's room. He laid her on the bed, and she slowly began to unbutton his shirt…

_She slid it off, throwing it to the floor._

_He found the zipper on the back of her dress, unzipping it and sending it toward his shirt._

_He unclasped her bra and she shimmied out of it._

_She reached for his pants, unzipping them._

_He worked himself out of them and his boxers at the same time._

_Now all that was left were her panties. He reached toward them and_…

POW!!!!

I jumped backward, startled at the resounding crack. I had snapped the trunk of the tree behind which I was hiding, clean in two. Before I had time to hear another single thought, I ran. I took off into the woods and didn't look back.

Bella's POV

We pulled up to Garrett's house and he helped me out of the car. We went in and I did something spontaneous, trying to keep the nagging thoughts from my head. I jumped up, snuggly wrapping my thighs around Garrett's firm belly. I could feel his hardness under me and I gulped nervously, before he took my lips in a fiery kiss. He hesitated for a second, and then bent to whisper in my ear.

"Wait Bella. I don't want to do this here. I want it to happen somewhere special. In my room…on my bed." I felt my mouth go dry, but smiled softly, trying to comfort Garrett's nervousness more than anything.

"Alright." He took my hand and led me up the stairs and into his room, closing the door behind him. He pulled me onto his firm, queen-sized bed before I knew what was happening. He kissed me again, nibbling on my bottom lip. His kisses moved to my jaw, tracing upward toward my ear as I began to unbutton his shirt. He finished taking it off and threw it down, then slowly, agonizingly, stripped me of my dress.

He worked his hands under my back and unclasped my bra with awkward, nervous hands. I pulled it out from under me, blushing at his ardent stare. He smiled down at me and I reached to unzip his pants. In one full swoop, he pulled both the recently pressed black dress pants and his navy boxers off, leaving them in a pile on the carpet.

He was back on top of me in a second and kissed me roughly. My heart was speeding at what had to be an unhealthy rate. Forget the butterflies; my stomach felt as though a swarm of bees was buzzing around my insides. I felt more than shy nervousness, I felt like I was going to puke. This wasn't right. It didn't _feel _right. I shouldn't have to think about this so hard, should I?

Garrett was working his hands down toward my underwear and I felt not even a trace of excitement. Only anxiety. There was a loud snapping noise outside, but neither Garrett nor myself paid any attention.

I had to stop this. It just couldn't go any further.

"Garrett…"I whispered, but as I said his name, a different face flashed through my mind. "Garrett." I said again, pulling his face to look at me.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" I took a shuddering breath and tried again to speak the words that would break this wonderful boy's heart.

"I can't, I mean…I…" Before I could get it out, Garrett interrupted.

"Its him, isn't it? _Edward._ You can't do this because you're still in love with him." It hurt to see the resigned yet unsurprised look on his face. We both sat up and I pulled the pillow over to cover myself.

"I'm so sorry Garrett. I didn't lie when I told you that I loved you. I do. It's just that…"

"You love him more." I bit my lip, trying to keep from crying and nodded.

"Bella, don't feel bad. I'll be okay. I knew this would happen." My eyes widened with surprise.

"Yeah…I knew from the moment you told me about him that if he ever came back you'd go back to him. You really, really love Bella. I could tell, even then." He pulled me into a forgiving hug. "Just promise me one thing."

Tears slid down my cheeks and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"Anything." I whispered, hoarsely.

"Promise me that we'll stay friends. I can't bare the thought of us never talking again. No matter how awkward things might get. Call me sometimes, okay?" His face was buried in my hair and I said with conviction, "Of course."

We got dressed and he drove me back to Charlie's. I hugged him for a long moment before getting out of the car. "Bye, Garrett."

"Bye, Bella." He smiled weakly and I headed into the house. Charlie was asleep on the couch, a basketball game on the TV. I trudged up the stairs and made it through all of the motions: changing into PJs, brushing my teeth, crawling into bed, before the dam broke. The sobs racked through me for what seemed like hours before I decided I wouldn't cry anymore. Tomorrow, I would talk to Edward. If he would see me. The thought frightened me. Edward, cold, and hard and beautiful; To kiss his lips and smell his sweet breath. A chill ran through me and I smiled. That night I had strange, broken dreams about beautiful monsters and a simple human boy that stood back and watched as I danced in the moonlight.


	6. The Way Things Were

Ch 6

Edward's POV

By some miracle I made it back to the house and up to my room before I utterly broke down into a crumbling mess. My body convulsed with violent spasms at the tears that could not surface. I curled into a lifeless ball on the black leather couch and clamped my eyes closed to keep away the images that continually threatened to plague me.

"In my room…" 

"_On my bed…"_

"_Alright."_

"No!!" I jumped up and ran literally lightning fast to the other side of the room, grabbing several CDs and throwing back across the room. The sickening crash was still not enough and I darted to the wall, punching it with enough force to create a large hole in the wall, sending several serpentine cracks up the yellow-gold wall. The echoing sound was strangely satisfying and I did so again, repeatedly. All of this happened within seconds and I quickly felt Alice's hand on my shoulder.

"Edward, please…**please **stop! Everything's going to be okay. Calm down." I knew she was trying to sooth me, but that's not what I needed. I needed to punch some more stuff.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Alice! I don't want to freaking _calm down_!!!" I punched the wall for the sixth time, sending a shower of fine, gray powder down on Alice's and my head. She grabbed my arm with uncanny strength for her size because of what she was.

"Edward, stop!" She jerked me around to face her. "I saw…I saw a vision of Bella." The fury evaporated from me in a second.

"You did!? What of?" I begged, forcefully grabbing her upper arms and staring into her amber eyes with my wide, pleading ones. She seemed as if she were struggling to decide whether or not to tell me, but I had to know.

"Please, Alice. Please!" She chewed on her lower lip before beginning.

"I saw several things, but all I can say is that she's coming tomorrow. Coming here…to talk to you." My breathing became increasingly rapid. Bella was coming to see me. What about? Was she coming to tell me what had happened between her and Garrett? Surely not…she couldn't possibly be that cold. Of course…maybe she had been hurt so badly that she felt like it was necessary to have some small stab at revenge. Or perhaps she just wanted me to know that there was absolutely no reason for me to try to get her back because she was madly in love with Garrett and was completely…taken.

I felt million things at once: fury, sadness, jealousy, and worthlessness. I was in a state of complete turmoil. The flight instinct kicked in for a moment. Perhaps, I should just turn and run in the other direction. Maybe I should stay as far away form my beautiful Bella as humanly (anf vampirely) possible. In the seconds I had taken to think through all this, Alice had left my room and I was alone with these feelings.

No. I couldn't run away. No matter what Bella decided to tell me, I knew I would have to listen. Because any moment with my Bella, no matter how heart-wrenching, would be wonderful. Any time at all with my heart would be precious. I sighed and muttered.

"It's going to be a long night."

Bella's POV

It had been a long restless night and I had gotten little sleep, but when my alarm went off the next morning, reminding me that I had to go see him, I was entirely awake. I showered and took much longer than I ever had to pick out an outfit. On instinct I reached for my sapphire blue, cashmere sweater, remembering that it was Edward's favorite color on me, however I knew that I couldn't. I decided on a black polo and a pair of new-ish comfy jeans. I slid my feet into black slip-on sneakers. Checking on my reflection in the mirror, I played with my thick, brown hair that fell limply around my shoulders. Not nearly satisfied, but resigned with my appearance, I grabbed my bag and car keys and headed out to my truck.

It had been a very long time since I'd been to the Cullen mansion, but the drive seemed faster than ever. I parked out front, but didn't make it to the door before I was Alice-attacked.

"Bella! When you're finished talking to him, you have to tell me where you got that beautiful gown you were wearing last night! It was gorgeous, babe. Oh, and I did see this visit and I did see the reason for it, but I didn't tell him anything. He just knows that you're coming." Her high-pitched laughter startled me and I realized we were at the top of the stairs, only feet from Edward's room.

I was breathing all heavy and I could hear my heart beating fast. In a brief moment of panic, I turned and tried to run, but Alice grabbed me.

"Not so fast. Come on." She lightly pushed me toward his door. I turned to look back at her, but she was already gone.

"Crap." I raised my hand to knock on the door, but right before my knuckles hit, the door swung open. I gasped.

"Edward." I said softly.

"Bella." For a while we just stared into each other's eyes, but he suddenly moved.

"Come in." He opened the door wide and I nearly gasped again. The room was exactly the same. "Alice said that you need to talk to me." I nodded slowly and sat on the very edge of the black leather couch. He sat on the polar opposite side. If someone had walked in they would have thought that magnets were pulling us apart. I had a strange flashback to my first day at Forks High, the first day we had met. Is this how Edward felt when we sat in Biology together?

"Yeah, I wanted to…to tell you about something." I was having a difficult time getting words out. But I noticed that his face looked strained and even paler than usual. "Edward, are you all right? You look almost…sick…" Before I could finish the sentence, Edward interrupted.

"Did you expect me to be thrilled with the news that you had had sex with Garrett Powell? Did you think I'd be happy?" I sucked a sharp breath in through my teeth.

"What!?" How did he know? Did Alice tell him after all? Did he really think I had gone through with it…did he think I was here to gloat about it? Good grief! He couldn't possibly think I was that terrible.

"No, Edward…that's not-"

"Bella, I would like it if we could at least be civil to each other. I don't think I could survive without ever seeing you, but you don't need to tell me anything. I lost that right a long time ago when I decided to leave you. No matter what my motives were, I have no right to come back and make you explain yourself to me." He looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

"Edward." He didn't move. "Edward, please." I sighed, feeling tears gather in my eyes. That's when I noticed the holes all over the wall. "Edward, did you punch holes in the wall?!" Even from the awkward angle, I could see the faint smile that spread across his beautiful lips.

"Well, yes. I had a bit of a temper tantrum last night."

"Oh." We sat in silence for what seemed like forever. "Edward, you have to let me tell you one thing. Its kind of important." After a slight hesitation, he nodded and turned to face me. I scooted a bit closer to him, which he noticed of course and he looked at me wearily.

"I…I…almost had sex with Garrett, but decided not to because as much as I love him, I'll always love you infinitely more and that's not fair to him or me." I was speaking so fast, _I _could barely answer myself. "And I just wanted you to know, because even though you're not in love with me, I am in love with you and I needed you to know, I can't stand it and-"

I was cut off by Edward's lips on mine. They were ice cold and rock hard, but they were wonderful. I kissed him back with passion that I had kept inside since last September. After a few minutes, he paused more just a second.

"You really didn't sleep with him?" He breathed heavily in my ear.

"No." I whispered, and buried my face in the crook of my neck, embarrassed with the tears that rolled down my face. "How could I? I'm in love with you." He half chuckled, half moaned as he pulled me into his lap.

"Oh, Bella. I love you too, I always did. I know what I said, but I only left so you wouldn't get hurt anymore. I could see the pain I was causing you, always putting you in danger and I couldn't bare it. I'm a good liar, Bella. I have to be." The sobs made my entire body convulse and I shuddered into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and pulled me close.

"Oh, Bella, I love you so much."

""I love you too. More than anything on Earth. Please promise you'll never leave me again. I couldn't bare it." I settled my cheek against his firm chest and closed my eyes.

"I'll never leave you. I can't. You are my soul. I barely survived before. That's why I came back; I had to see if you were as miserable as me. But I thought that you had moved on so I was going to leave you alone." He buried his face in my hair.

"I tried. I had to keep on surviving, even though I didn't want to. And after a while, I did love Garrett, but never even a fraction as much as I love you. I couldn't stay with him knowing you were here." Edward laughed quietly.

"Well I guess we'll just have to go back to the way things were." He muttered into my hair.

"Yes." I whispered. "Please."


	7. Looking Back At Me

Epilogue

The rest of the weekend, I spent all of my time with Edward. I "slept over with Alice" on Friday night and really slept cuddled up with him on his couch. Saturday we went to our meadow and lay in the sun talking and catching up on what we had done in our months apart. That night he snuck up to my room just like the old days and we kissed and talked some more. At one point Edward made me laugh so hard, that Charlie woke up and came into my room. Edward deftly hid in my closet while Charlie asked me what the heck I was doing up so late. I had pulled out my copy of Withering Heights and said,

"Oh, sorry I woke you, Dad. I just love this book." I smiled at him, pretending to go back to my reading.

"Well that's good Bella. I thought you might be having another nightmare since the Cullen's came back in town. But I guess you haven't been having nightmares since you started dating Garrett, huh?" He started to walk away, but turned as if he had just realized something. "Wait a second. Why hasn't Garrett been around at all this weekend?"

"Oh…uh…Garrett and I, um…we sort of…broke up." I muttered, unable to look in his eyes.

"What!? Why? You two were great together. You both seemed so taken with each other. He helped you so much after _Cullen_ left."

"Dad…" I groaned, starting to get annoyed. "It's none of your business. And…" I hesitated, unsure how Charlie would take my news. "I'm back with Edward now. I realized he only left because of a misunderstanding and now he's back. I love him Dad. I feel bad about how things ended with Garrett, but I couldn't stay with him while I loved Edward." Charlie had turned red in the face but at my final words, he gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Fine. Go to sleep, Bells. Its late." He left and shut the door a little louder than he needed. Edward was next to me in the bed in milliseconds.

"Ugh, Bella. I feel so retched for what I did to you. Maybe…maybe you should have stayed with Garrett."

"No, Edward!" I pulled him close to me. "Don't ever say that. I'm never going to leave you and you're never going to leave me. That's that." He chuckled and tucked my head under his chin.

"All right, my beautiful angel. I guess you're stuck with me forever. Now go to sleep. Your dad was right, it is late."

Sunday was spent hanging around the Cullen's and I got reacquainted with my second family. Alice and I spent hours talking about clothes and hair and makeup and Emmett made several jokes at my expense, but it was amazing. I was finally at home.

Monday came too quickly and as Edward walked me down the hall to my locker, I realized something very scary was about to happen: first period Physics. The class was easy and the teacher was fairly tolerable however, at the beginning of the year, I had sat next to Edward, but after he left and the Powells had moved into town, Garrett had filled all of Edward's empty seats. He was in three of my classes today and sat right next to me in all of them. Could it be a more awkward situation? My true love/ ex/ reacquainted boyfriend, my life savor/ almost lover/ ex, and me, all in one small classroom. Oh my goodness.

"Edward?" I asked, looking at my shoes.

"Yes? What's the matter, Bella?" I chewed on my lip before looking up into his melted amber eyes.

"Garrett sits next to me in all three of my next periods." I could feel his body tense next to mine as we headed down the hall toward Physics. As we approached the door, he stopped me and turned me to face him.

"Bella, no matter what, I love you…and I want what's best for you. Garrett's a good friend. I know you want to stay friends with him, so do." He smiled and my heart nearly melted as I realized how noble and loving this boy was; how perfect he was for me. I went up on my tiptoes and gave him a peck before heading into class.

I noticed that Garrett wasn't in his seat next to mine and I thought for a brief second that he had transferred schools to avoid me, but Mr. Greggory called me up to his desk.

"Bella, Garrett told me this morning that he was having a bit of trouble seeing the board from his seat in the back. I moved him up front and its actually quite convenient. Edward Cullen has come back, so I can just put him in his old seat. Is that okay with you?" I was stunned. Garrett had never had a problem seeing the board. What the heck…

Edward and I headed to our seat in back and as I sat down, I noticed Garrett for the first time, sitting at a lab table in the front corner of the room. Was he doing this just to avoid me? He turned a tiny bit in his chair and looked back at me. We locked eyes. After a brief hesitation, he smiled his devilishly handsome grin and winked. I chuckled as I realized what he had done.

He had given up a chair in prime real estate for a crappy desk right by the teacher so that Edward and I could be together. He had done it for me. I turned and smiled up at Edward.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I paused very quickly and then answered truthfully.

"I'm…wonderful." I scooted up to my desk and took out my notes. Everything was going to be okay. Better than okay. It was all good.

Fin.


End file.
